Method for removing network effects from search engine results

• US 8,078,613 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2007
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Schneider, James Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): PULLIAM, CHRISTYANN R
• Application Number:
  US11/998,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138464A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,476 Days
• Field of Search: 707/726
• US Class Current: 707/726
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

A method and apparatus for ranking results from a search engine query is described. In one embodiment, the search engine provides results from a search query. The results contain a list of web pages where each web page has one or more inbound links. The search engine computes the growth of the number of inbound links of each web page over a predefined period of time. The search engine ranks each web page based on a function of its respective computed growth of the number of inbound links.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for ranking results from a search engine comprising:

generating, by the search engine at a server, results from a search query, the results comprising a plurality of web pages, each web page having one or more inbound links;

determining, by the search engine, an absolute number of inbound links to each web page in the results from the search query at a first point in time;

identifying, by the search engine in the results from the search query, web pages having an absolute number of inbound links that is less than a predetermined threshold, wherein remaining web pages have an absolute number of inbound links that is not less than the predetermined threshold;

computing, by the search engine, a growth of the number of inbound links of each web page in the results from the search query, wherein the computing excludes the identified web pages that have an absolute number of inbound links that is less than the predetermined threshold;

ranking, by the search engine, each web page in the results from the search query that has an absolute number of inbound links above the predetermined threshold based on a function of its respective computed growth of the number of inbound links; and

providing, by the search engine, a response to the search query using the ranking of web pages that depends on the growth of the number of inbound links of the web pages.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein computing the growth of the number of inbound links of a web page further comprises:

determining the number of new inbound links to the web page over a predefined period of time; and

dividing the number of new inbound links to the web page by the number of current inbound links to the web page.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein determining the number of new inbound links to the web page over the predefined period of time, the predefined period of time defined between the first point in time and a second point in time, further comprises:

determining the number of inbound links to the web page at the second point in time;

subtracting the number of inbound links to the web page at the first point in time from the number of inbound links to the web page at the first point in time.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

adjusting the growth of the number of inbound links to the web page based on the absolute number of inbound links to the web page at the first point in time with respect to the predetermined threshold.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein ranking further comprises:

ranking the results based on the growth of the number of inbound links of each web page from the highest growth to the lowest growth.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a link to the web page with the highest growth of the number of inbound links based on the ranking in response to the search query.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including data that, when accessed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method comprising:

generating, by a search engine, results from a search query, the results comprising a plurality of web pages, each web page having one or more inbound links;

determining, by the search engine, an absolute number of inbound links to each web page in the results from the search query at a first point in time;

identifying, by the search engine, web pages having an absolute number of inbound links that is less than a predetermined threshold in the results from the search query, wherein remaining web pages have an absolute number of inbound links that is not less than the predetermined threshold;

computing, by the search engine, a growth of the number of inbound links of each web page in the results from the search query, wherein the computing excludes the identified web pages that have an absolute number of inbound links that is less than the predetermined threshold;

ranking, by the search engine, each web page in the results from the search query that has an absolute number of inbound links above the predetermined threshold based on a function of its respective computed growth of the number of inbound links; and

providing, by the search engine, a response to the search query using the ranking of web pages that depends on the growth of the number of inbound links of the web pages.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein computing the growth of the number of inbound links of a web page further comprises:

determining the number of new inbound links to the web page over a predefined period of time; and

dividing the number of new inbound links to the web page by the number of current inbound links to the web page.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 wherein determining the number of new inbound links to the web page over the predefined period of time, the predefined period of time defined between the first point in time and a second point in time, further comprises:

determining the number of inbound links to the web page at the second point in time;

subtracting the number of inbound links to the web page at the first point in time from the number of inbound links to the web page at the first point in time.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 wherein the method further comprises:

adjusting the growth of the number of inbound links to the web page based on the absolute number of inbound links to the web page at the first point in time with respect to the predetermined threshold.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein ranking further comprises:

ranking the results based on the growth of the number of inbound links of each web page from the highest growth to the lowest growth.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 wherein the method further comprises:

providing a link to the web page with the highest growth of the number of inbound links based on the ranking in response to the search query.

13. A computing system comprising:

a storage device configured to store a computed growth of the number of inbound links of a web page; and

a processing device coupled to the storage device, the processing device comprising a search engine module, the search engine configured to generate from a search query, the results comprising a plurality of web pages, each web page having one or more inbound links, to determine an absolute number of inbound links to each web page in the results from the search query at a first point in time, to identify web pages having an absolute number of inbound links that is less than a predetermined threshold in the results from the search query, wherein remaining web pages have an absolute number of inbound links that is not less than the predetermined threshold, to compute the growth of the number of inbound links of each web page in the results from the search query, wherein the computing excludes the identified web pages that have an absolute number of inbound links that is less than the predetermined threshold, to rank each web page having an absolute number of inbound links above the predetermined threshold in the results from the search query based on a function of its respective computed growth of the number of inbound links, and to provide a response to the search query using the ranking of web pages that depends on the growth of the number of inbound links of the web pages.

14. The computing system of claim 13 wherein the search engine module is configured determine the number of new inbound links to the web page over a predefined period of time, and divide the number of new inbound links to the web page by the number of current inbound links to the web page.

15. The computing system of claim 14 wherein the search engine module is configured to determine the number of inbound links to the web page at a second point in time, and to subtract the number of inbound links to the web page at the first point in time from the number of inbound links to the web page at the first point in time, the predefined period of time defined between a first point in time and a second point in time.

16. The computing system of claim 15 wherein the search engine module is configured to adjust the growth of the number of inbound links to the web page based on the absolute number of inbound links to the web page at the first point in time with respect to the predetermined threshold.

17. The computing system of claim 13 wherein the search engine module is configured to rank the results based on the growth of the number of inbound links of each web page from the highest growth to the lowest growth.

18. The computing system of claim 13 wherein the search engine module is configured to further provide a link to the web page with the highest growth of the number of inbound links based on the ranking in response to the search query.